Browns notes: Defensive line is finally healthy

The defensive line might finally be taking shape for the Browns with less than half the season remaining, starting with a match with the Cowboys on Sunday in Dallas.

Defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin practiced Monday as players returned from the bye week refreshed and eager for the final seven games. Rubin injured his calf muscle late in the game against the Giants on Oct. 7. He missed the next game and started against the Colts on Oct. 14 but had to leave in the first quarter. He has not played since.

"It's doing good," Rubin said after the light practice. "I'm taking it day by day. I've been out for a while. That's the important thing -- get back in the groove and get these plays back down."

Phil Taylor, the other starter at defensive tackle, missed the first eight games recovering from pectoral surgery. He played 33 snaps -- 50 percent of the defensive plays -- against the Ravens in the game before the bye and hopes to play more against the Cowboys.

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"With Rube and me there, it's a big difference," Taylor said. "We've got Billy (Winn) and John (Hughes) rotating in with us, so we're real healthy. In practice, Rube's going to go 100 percent every time. We try to match that. When we match that as a whole defensive unit, we do real good."

Defensive end Jabaal Sheard could be the beneficiary of the Taylor-Rubin tandem. Sheard had 8 1/2 sacks last season as a rookie. As well as Hughes and Winn have played as rookies, Taylor believes he and Rubin will draw more attention and free up Sheard.

"They're going to double-team us a lot," Taylor said. "So it's going to leave the ends with a lot of one-on-ones, and that's going to help us a lot as well."

Sheard has 1 1/2 sacks this season. The hope is Taylor and Rubin can crush the pocket on the opposing quarterback and force him to make mistakes, if not sack him.

Coach Pat Shurmur's parting message before giving players five days off for the bye was they should stay in shape and not treat the time like a vacation. They apparently listened.

"I thought their energy level was great," he said after practice. "They all were back on time. I think they all handled their off time extremely well. We had a good practice here. I could tell that they've all done some conditioning. We ended it with a very spirited two-minute drill, which tells me they're back into it and ready to roll."

The Browns are off today and return to practice Wednesday.

Peterson absent

With Rubin back practicing, the Browns are healthier than they have been all season. The only player missing is defensive back Dimitri Peterson. Peterson has missed four games with a left ankle injury.

Cowboys' D improved

The Cowboys gave up 24 passing touchdowns last season. One of their missions in the offseason was to improve that number, and they have.

Dallas has allowed seven touchdowns through the air, which projects to 13 for the season.